The public switched telephone network (PSTN) employs numeric based addressing in the form of conventional telephone numbers to enable users to communicate with each other. In contrast, much of the addressing paradigm for network-based content including multimedia content is alphanumeric from the end user's perspective. For example, alphanumeric expressions, in the form of uniform resource identifiers (URIs), are widely employed to access content via an Internet protocol (IP) compliant network such as the Internet itself.
Another distinction between conventional telephone services and IP based content is the directory services available to locate “others” on the network, e.g., telephone numbers in the case of traditional telephone services and URIs in the case of IP based networks. Locating content on IP networks generally includes an end user accessing a search engine with a browser to formulate and submit a content search, generally including an alphanumeric text string containing keywords, i.e., words that convey a description of the desired content.
Convergence of telephony and data services is progressing rapidly. Although Voice over IP (VoIP) has been viable for some time, the advent of third generation (3G) networks including 3G wireless networks will accelerate the deployment of telephony services on IP-based platforms. The increasing pervasiveness and sophistication of cellular telephones, personal data administrators (PDAs), and other network-capable handheld devices has similarly expanded the volume of data traffic accessed via mobile telephony devices.
In a related trend, multimedia content providers including traditional radio and television broadcasters, satellite providers, and others are increasingly making their content available on the Internet. This trend has expanded the number and geography-base of the recipients of this type of content and challenged traditional assumptions and models regarding the most effective form of advertising for these channels. At the same time, other multimedia content providers including “new media” stations are emerging that use the Internet as their exclusive distribution medium.